Our paragraph topic is: (The Pharisees and Sadducees ask a sign) Part 1.
And the word spread. Like wild fire the word spread and people talked about Jesus. They spoke of his miracles. They spoke of his teachings. They spoke of his words. They spoke of his peace. They spoke of his love for all man. And then the Pharisees heard. They heard and disliked. They heard and hated. They heard and plotted how to stop the word from spreading. For they were filled with evil. They were consumed with darkness and darkness did not like the teachings of Christ. Evil did not want to hear of goodness. Evil did not want peace. Evil wanted to do away with Christ. So they plotted with the Pharisees as to how they might do away with him and his teachings.
So the Pharisees and the Sadducees came to Christ with a test. They had planned their strategy and came to Christ to test him with a question. They had heard of his miracles. They had seen others who were cured. They had known those who were blind, crippled, possessed, lame, and filled with leprosy but they still did not believe. So despite all the signs and wonders, they wanted a special request. They wanted a special sign for themselves so that they could say that they could believe. But evil was with them. Evil could not work on its own but only through a person. So the evil doers came to Christ and asked for a sign. And the Pharisees and Sadducees came to him to test him, and they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
Where are we today? Do we need a sign to believe? Do we need a cure to understand and believe? The evil within does not want us to believe. The evil within would have us blind. The evil within would have us deaf. The evil within would keep us as unbelievers or at worst deceive us to think that we believe yet continuing to do the things that indicate we do not believe.
We live in a world that is not eternal. Yet we believe that it is forever. We believe that tomorrow is given, next week is planned for, next year we will be here to enjoy the pleasures of this life. Do we need a sign? Do we need death to come and knock on our door to tell us to wake up? Do we need sickness to come into our lives to open our eyes. The thief comes in the night when least expected to steal from us. Thank you Father for not letting go of my hand. Thank you Father for not giving up on me. Thank you Father for keeping death away until I came to know you. For I faced death on many occasions. I walked the line with evil and was tempted to cross over. Yet I knew deep down inside that evil was not with me. I knew from the peace that you gave me when I was a child that this was your peace. I knew that the love that you showed me was not the hatred and anger that I faced when tempted by evil.
Thank you Father for touching me with your love and your peace. Now I know who I am and who you are. I know that your Holy Spirit is with me each day. I know that I am your child and you are my loving Father who wants to care for me and provide for me. To those who do not know or who do not believe, I am a witness for his love and his peace. Come, seek the truth of who you are and the knowledge of your Father. Christ wants to heal you. Christ wants to protect you. Christ wants to love you. And the Father will provide for you if you only believe.
Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in!
And the word spread. Like wild fire the word spread and people talked about Jesus. They spoke of his miracles. They spoke of his teachings. They spoke of his words. They spoke of his peace. They spoke of his love for all man. And then the Pharisees heard. They heard and disliked. They heard and hated. They heard and plotted how to stop the word from spreading. For they were filled with evil. They were consumed with darkness and darkness did not like the teachings of Christ. Evil did not want to hear of goodness. Evil did not want peace. Evil wanted to do away with Christ. So they plotted with the Pharisees as to how they might do away with him and his teachings.
So the Pharisees and the Sadducees came to Christ with a test. They had planned their strategy and came to Christ to test him with a question. They had heard of his miracles. They had seen others who were cured. They had known those who were blind, crippled, possessed, lame, and filled with leprosy but they still did not believe. So despite all the signs and wonders, they wanted a special request. They wanted a special sign for themselves so that they could say that they could believe. But evil was with them. Evil could not work on its own but only through a person. So the evil doers came to Christ and asked for a sign. And the Pharisees and Sadducees came to him to test him, and they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
Where are we today? Do we need a sign to believe? Do we need a cure to understand and believe? The evil within does not want us to believe. The evil within would have us blind. The evil within would have us deaf. The evil within would keep us as unbelievers or at worst deceive us to think that we believe yet continuing to do the things that indicate we do not believe.
We live in a world that is not eternal. Yet we believe that it is forever. We believe that tomorrow is given, next week is planned for, next year we will be here to enjoy the pleasures of this life. Do we need a sign? Do we need death to come and knock on our door to tell us to wake up? Do we need sickness to come into our lives to open our eyes. The thief comes in the night when least expected to steal from us. Thank you Father for not letting go of my hand. Thank you Father for not giving up on me. Thank you Father for keeping death away until I came to know you. For I faced death on many occasions. I walked the line with evil and was tempted to cross over. Yet I knew deep down inside that evil was not with me. I knew from the peace that you gave me when I was a child that this was your peace. I knew that the love that you showed me was not the hatred and anger that I faced when tempted by evil.
Thank you Father for touching me with your love and your peace. Now I know who I am and who you are. I know that your Holy Spirit is with me each day. I know that I am your child and you are my loving Father who wants to care for me and provide for me. To those who do not know or who do not believe, I am a witness for his love and his peace. Come, seek the truth of who you are and the knowledge of your Father. Christ wants to heal you. Christ wants to protect you. Christ wants to love you. And the Father will provide for you if you only believe.
Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in!
